


i'll get the tab

by saraheli



Category: SF9 (Band)
Genre: Blind Date, Fluff, Graphic Designer Taeyang, M/M, Secretary Hwiyoung, Secretary Youngkyun
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-29
Updated: 2018-05-29
Packaged: 2019-05-15 11:38:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 877
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14789792
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saraheli/pseuds/saraheli
Summary: Couples that meet on Tinder are widely regarded with skepticism, and, even heading into this, Taeyang feels himself being skeptical, too. There was no way to know what this Youngkyun guy would be like, but he was simultaneously nervous and eager to find out.





	i'll get the tab

_Why are you nervous? It’s not like this is your first date._ **  
**

Taeyang combed his hair out of his eyes for the thousandth time, and, no matter how much he gelled it or sprayed it with that solidifying type of hairspray that discouraged any type of movement, it would always tilt and fall just into his line of vision in bitty strings.

“Ah,” he sighed to himself and dropped the comb onto his dresser in surrender. He swore to himself with a nervous chuckle, and checked his phone again when it went off.

> **[7:28pm] youngkyun** : u sure u don’t want me to pick u up?
> 
> **[7:28pm] youngkyun** : ur on my way anyway

Taeyang’s heart skipped into his throat at the suggestion, but he was too nervous to accept it so willingly. They hadn’t even met in person yet, only exchanged photos and complimentary words. Maybe that’s why he was so nervous: because he was afraid that Youngkyun might be dissatisfied with him.

It wasn’t even that they hadn’t seen each other or heard each other’s voices, it was that this was Taeyang’s first time meeting someone that he had met on a dating app for dinner.

_Dinner_.

This was uncharted territory. He didn’t do “dates” or “boyfriends” or whatever it meant to see someone for dinner on a Friday evening with no expectations of anything beyond. He’d never had time, and that’s just how it was. He didn’t like it that way, but there was nothing else he could do until now.

> **[7:30pm] taeyang** : no!! please don’t. i’ll just meet you there. see you soon :)

Taeyang adjusted his tie a final time and stared at his own reflection. Focusing on his breathing, he let himself finally be ready to leave. He couldn’t be late, and he couldn’t change the blotchy pink of his complexion in under ten minutes, so there was no point in dawdling.

_Wow_.

Youngkyun had seen photos, of course, but the screen of your phone can only do so much justice to something so absurdly stunning. His lips parted, barely held back from falling agape entirely, as his eyes brushed in broad strokes over Taeyang’s frame where it waited at the door to the restaurant.

He was draped in crimson and doused in golden light from the street lamps; he simply looked surreal. Youngkyun looked down at the more simple white button-down that he had selected and bit his lip. He wondered wordlessly how he compared to what Taeyang had anticipated.

“Hey, you’re Youngkyun, right?” Taeyang asked, approaching the other boy as he crossed the street. “I’m Taeyang.”

He offered his hand for a shake, and little cherry blossom blotches of blush arose in his complexion when the younger boy took it. It was warm and strong, and the pads of his fingers were rough on the inside of Taeyang’s wrist.

“It’s nice to finally meet you,” Taeyang continued, smiling so stunningly that Youngkyun had to swallow his breath to keep from gasping.

“Yeah,” he nodded and looked towards the door, “Shall we?”

The restaurant was beautiful: showered in light that danced from inside crystal chandeliers and illuminated the crimson fixtures, full of laughter and tinkling dish-and-fork sounds, sweet smelling with sugary cigar smoke and fried calamari. Walking into it felt like it might to be sheathed in Charmeuse silk and dipped into brandy.

Youngkyun never went to places like this—how could he? They weren’t an option—and so his mouth hung open as he followed the server to their table. He carefully took his seat across from Taeyang before noticing that, in his money-stunned haze,  he hadn’t pulled the chair out for his date like he had planned to. He pursed his lips.

“What? Don’t you like it?” Taeyang raised his eyebrows at Youngkyun, guiding the menu open between his slender fingers.

“No, no, um,” Youngkyun cleared his throat and hastily opened his menu, too. “I like it, I’ve just…I’ve never been to a place like this.”

“A bar?”

“No,” Youngkyun laughed awkwardly. “Somewhere this…” he eyed the menu, “…expensive.”

“Oh,” Taeyang raised his eyebrows. “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable,” he shifted in his seat, “Do you want to go somewhere else?” He started to stand, “We can.”

“No, gosh,” Youngkyun flushed bright pink. “This is fine. It’s good. I’ll figure it out.”

Taeyang’s heart sank. When he had selected this restaurant, he hadn’t even considered that it wouldn’t be…well, affordable. Money wasn’t necessarily on his mind; it didn’t really have to be, but the way Youngkyun’s eyes nervously flitted across page after page of the menu, seemingly without making any stops or selections made him feel awful. That subtle pout of his rosy lips, curling between his teeth in apparent discomfort, forced something out of Taeyang that he hadn’t prewritten in his head. Something else uncharted.

“Don’t figure it out, let me take care of it,” Taeyang’s forehead wrinkled. “I’ll pay for dinner.”

“What? No,” Youngkyun shook his head, “I can’t just let you—”

“It’s really okay,” Taeyang grinned. “You can pay next time.”

Youngkyun’s features broke out in a blushing grin at the mention of a next time, and he nodded softly.

“Perfect,” Taeyang sat up a little straighter, holding his victory close


End file.
